Meeting point Guanghzou

The 17th China International Pet Show (CIPS) took place in the Chinese metropolis Guangzhou from 15 to 18 November 2013. Exhibitor numbers were up on 2012 by 90, with companies attending from 23 different countries compared to 17 the previous year. The annual show is staged alternately in Beijing and Guanghzou, and is organised jointly by the China Great Wall International Exhibition Company and NürnbergMesse. In the international pet supplies industry, the CIPS is regarded as the foremost platform for trading in Asia.

The Chinese pet supplies market is booming and the market potential of international products continues to be viewed in a positive light. The proportion of international exhibitors rose accordingly to nearly 20 per cent (2012: 16.8 per cent) and the organisers welcomed a host of new companies, primarily from Europe. 68 per cent of the trade visitors, numbering around 36 000, were from China, while the international visitors in attendance were from 69 different countries around the globe.
“The Asian pet supplies market continues to offer attractive growth prospects, and more and more European companies want to take advantage of the networking opportunities available at the CIPS,” explained Katharina Neumann. Neumann is responsible within NürnbergMesse for securing international exhibitors for the show and for looking after them. She says that many first-time exhibitors have already put in an application for this year’s show.

European exhibitors expressed their satisfaction with international visitors to their stands. “We made lots of new contacts with customers throughout Asia and even beyond. For us, this fair was a good investment with direct, specific results,” said Ileana Zambelli, export sales manager at the Italian company Imac, appreciatively. Marc Scott of Demavic, France, also reported a high level of general interest in exhibitors from abroad among the Chinese visitors. “We are definitely considering coming again next year.”

To accommodate the increased number of exhibitors, the exhibition area for the show was increased to 60 000 m² (2012: 59 000 m²). 62 per cent of the exhibitors presented products and services from the pet supplies segment, while aquatics companies…